Category: NYX

NYX Highlight & Contour Palette ($25.00 for 0.72 oz.) is a set of four highlight powders and four contour powders. All of the shades included in the palette can be purchased individually, and the palette is refillable, so shades can be removed or rearranged. The only downside is that they don’t sell the palette empty, and there are two additional highlight powder shades (Bone, Soft Peach) and two additional contour powder shades (Sienna, Saddle) available as singles (each single is $5.00). I liked that two of the four highlighters had some shimmer to them, so for those who like a little sheen to their highlight, you’ll have those options, and you can always tamp down the satiny sheen by dusting one of the more matte highlight powders on top to stretch out the others if you like less shimmer. The contours all had a semi-matte to satin finish, so none were totally matte, and they looked natural on the skin without looking too shimmery or too flat. I had some trouble blending out the contour shades at times, and I had the best luck by applying with a more feathery brush to lay down the general outline of the contour, and then going back to darken as needed. The highlight shades are soft and smooth but powdery.

Highlight Powders

Ice Queen is described as a “pearly pale white.” It’s a very light, cool-toned white with a frosted finish. It had semi-opaque coverage that was buildable to fully opaque color if desired, though it’s likely a shade worn more diffused for most, so luckily, it blends out quite easily. It just slightly emphasizes pores if I’m not careful or don’t buff it out enough. It lasted for eight hours on me. Cle de Peau Pastel (11) (P, $55.00) is less shimmery, darker. L’Oreal Ice (P, $12.99) is cooler. LORAC Shimmer Highlight (P, ) is less shimmery. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Soft Light is described as a “matte nude.” It’s a very light, white-beige that is fairly neutral in undertone paired with a matte finish. The texture was soft and smooth but noticeably powdery. This looked chalky against my medium skin tone, so it is probably better mixed with one of the contours or for fairer skin tones than mine. The coverage was semi-opaque and slightly buildable, but with how powdery it was, it tended to sheer out if you blended out the edges at all. It started to fade after seven hours. NARS Highlight (P, ) is warmer. Kat Von D Lucid (P, ) is darker, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Nectar is described as a “pearly soft peach.” It’s a light-medium, yellowed peach with warm undertones and a soft, frosted shimmer. It was less frosted compared to Ice Queen. The texture was soft, blendable, and slightly powdery/dry but didn’t appear dry on the skin. The shimmer didn’t emphasize the skin’s natural texture or pores. It wore well for seven and a half hours before turning a little patchy/faded. IT Cosmetics Hello Light (P, $24.00) is more shimmery. MAC Star! (LE, ) is more shimmery. Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment (Original) (P, $30.00) is less shimmery, darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

NYX Intense Butter Glosses ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz.) are a richer, more opaque gloss with a cream finish and a glossy shine. When NYX nails the formula, it’s really good, but there are some misses. My favorites were Spice Cake (A), Chocolate Crepe (A-), Apple Crisp (A-), and Toasted Marshmallow (A-). They wore around four hours on average and weren’t drying (nor hydrating) with a light vanilla scent but no taste. They’re heavier than the original Butter Gloss formula, and they’re lightly tacky.

Formula Summary:NYX Intense Butter Gloss ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a very pigmented gloss that “keeps lips soft and glossy without being sticky.” They are typically very pigmented, but some shades apply better than others; when they apply well, they’re really a great option for anyone who likes their gloss more pigmented. They have a medium-weight consistency that is heavier than the original Butter Gloss formula with light tackiness that develops over time. It’s not hydrating but not usually drying either. The gloss wears four hours on me on average, and the formula has a slight vanilla scent to me, but it seems a little synthetic (something off about it) but had no discernible taste to me.

Formula Summary:NYX Intense Butter Gloss ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a very pigmented gloss that “keeps lips soft and glossy without being sticky.” They are typically very pigmented, but some shades apply better than others; when they apply well, they’re really a great option for anyone who likes their gloss more pigmented. They have a medium-weight consistency that is heavier than the original Butter Gloss formula with light tackiness that develops over time. It’s not hydrating but not usually drying either. The gloss wears four hours on me on average, and the formula has a slight vanilla scent to me, but it seems a little synthetic (something off about it) but had no discernible taste to me.

Formula Summary:NYX Intense Butter Gloss ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a very pigmented gloss that “keeps lips soft and glossy without being sticky.” They are typically very pigmented, but some shades apply better than others; when they apply well, they’re really a great option for anyone who likes their gloss more pigmented. They have a medium-weight consistency that is heavier than the original Butter Gloss formula with light tackiness that develops over time. It’s not hydrating but not usually drying either. The gloss wears four hours on me on average, and the formula has a slight vanilla scent to me, but it seems a little synthetic (something off about it) but had no discernible taste to me.

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NYX Amber HD Blush ($6.50 for 0.16 oz.) is a muted, medium rosy pink with warm undertones and a satin finish. The finish has a soft sheen to it that gives the a skin a nice glow without emphasizing pores or appearing overly shimmery. It had a soft, silky consistency that kicked up excess product in the pan, but it didn’t look powdery applied to the skin. The blush had mostly opaque coverage that was easily blended down or built to true-to-pan intensity in two layers. On me, it lasted seven and a half hours before fading. Chanel Innocence (160) (P, $45.00) is cooler. Hourglass Radiant Magenta (P, $35.00) is brighter. MAC Cheeky Bugger (LE, $21.00) is lighter. NARS Love (LE, $30.00) is cooler. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Formula Summary: NYX’s newest blush formula is supposed to be a “high definition, lightweight blush that blends evenly” that is “vibrant and silky.” The texture tended to be on the more powdery side, but it sits well and doesn’t look powdery applied. Many shades have a more luminous finish to them where the shimmer is fine enough to create a glow, rather than a frosted finish (though a couple are quite shimmery). The formula blends fairly easily on the skin and has medium, buildable coverage with some being very pigmented right off the bat. The wear time is between seven and eight hours.